2025 agricultural drone use is up 90% since 2020

International use of agricultural drones has skyrocketed — up 90% since 2020, with 400,000 drones now in use worldwide. That’s in accordance with DJI Agriculture’s just-released 2025 Agricultural Drone Business Perception Report, which additionally recorded agricultural carried out use throughout 100 nations.

Drone use on that scale means that corporations now not see drones as merely a take a look at challenge for R&D groups, however moderately a type of expertise that’s making a transformative shift in agricultural practices. From espresso fields in Brazil to vineyards in Romania, drones are proving they’re extra than simply high-tech novelties — they’re important farm instruments.

Listed here are a few of the most shocking figures from DJI’s 2025 Agricultural Drone Business Perception Report:

• 400,000 agricultural drones had been in use by the top of 2024 — up 90% from simply 4 years earlier.
• These drones are operated by 400,000 skilled pilots, a lot of whom are younger individuals and ladies, because of extra accessible coaching packages.
• Agricultural drones are actually used to deal with 300 crop sorts in 100 nations.
• Drone-powered farming has saved an estimated 222 million tons of water.
• The shift to drones has additionally lowered carbon emissions by 30.87 tons.

A take a look at the 2025 agricultural drone market

Estimates recommend that the agricultural drone market, valued at roughly $2.74 billion in 2024, is projected to develop at a compound annual development fee (CAGR) of 25.0% from 2025 to 2030.

Whereas DJI stays a dominant participant, holding an estimated 70% world market share as of 2024, different corporations are making vital strides. As an example, XAG’s P100 agricultural drone has gained traction in varied markets, and Parrot’s Bluegrass collection gives versatile options for crop monitoring and evaluation.

Why the 2025 agricultural drone market is abruptly exploding

Extra favorable coverage developments and regulatory landscapes

An enormous issue within the growth of drone utilization in agriculture? ore accommodating insurance policies from aviation authorities worldwide.

Nations like Argentina and Spain are easing restrictions and streamlining approvals for drone use in agriculture. Brazil has standardized pilot coaching, making it simpler than ever to get licensed to fly legally.

In the US, nevertheless, the regulatory setting presents challenges. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is within the strategy of growing Half 108, a regulation aimed toward standardizing Past Visible Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. This regulation is anticipated to introduce necessities corresponding to detect-and-avoid expertise and particular pilot certifications.

Regardless of these efforts, the FAA has but to finalize Half 108, resulting in a backlog of over 1,200 pilot functions within the first half of 2024. This delay has resulted in some operators flying with out correct certification, elevating security and authorized issues.

Improvements in agricultural drone expertise

DJI first started investing in analysis and growth for the development of spray drones manner again in 2012. By 2015, DJI formalized its agricultural division, making a crew inside the firm referred to as DJI Agriculture.

And since then, the tech innovation has exploded. For instance, one in all DJI’s breakthroughs was when it optimized nozzle designs and airflow dynamics in its drones to attenuate pesticide drift, a standard concern in aerial spraying.

In apply, which means spray drones can now ship pesticides and fertilizers with better precision, lowering waste and off-target contamination. DJI shared an instance of espresso farms in Brazil, the place DJI’s Agras T40 and T50 drones have lowered operational prices by as much as 70% in comparison with guide spraying. Equally, a winery proprietor in Romania managed to chop chemical utilization by half and lowered spraying time from a number of days to simply 2.5 hours.

Elevated take care of the setting

The advantages of drones extends past reducing again on chemical utilization. Drones have additionally made it doable to raised preserve water. For instance, a case examine on drones in banana cultivation discovered that banana farmers who used drones had been capable of drop their water utilization by 90% yearly, and reduce their utility of fungicides and pesticides has decreased by 40%, in accordance with DJI’s 2025 agricultural drone report.

Challenges for the 2025 agricultural drone market — and the highway forward

That new DJI report alerts that we’re simply now getting into the early majority adoption part of agricultural drones. However regardless of the promising outlook, challenges stay.

Regulatory hurdles, notably within the U.S., should be addressed to facilitate broader adoption. The finalization of Half 108 is essential for enabling routine BVLOS operations, that are important for large-scale agricultural functions.

Furthermore, issues over information safety and the dominance of Chinese language producers like DJI have sparked debates in regards to the want for diversification within the drone provide chain.

After which there are issues about availability, notably has DJI dominates the market of agricultural drones. Many purchasers concern that new tariffs on merchandise imported into the U.S. might drive up the price of all types of drones — each these made internationally and people made in America.

That’s as a result of even American-made drones sometimes depend on merchandise made in different nations for at the least some components, whether or not that’s a easy screw or plastic piece, or a full pc. For instance, the eBee X from AgEagle Aerial Programs is basically made in Switzerland, regardless of AgEagle itself being primarily based in Kansas.

For its half, DJI says it isn’t backing down on agricultural drone manufacturing.

“Agricultural drones have turn out to be important farm gear world wide,” Yuan Zhang, Head of International Gross sales at DJI Agriculture. “Because the business continues to mature globally, DJI Agriculture stays steadfast in our mission to assist farmers enhance effectivity and sustainably improve their yields via revolutionary drone expertise.”

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